In the Matter of the Dependency of A.E.T.H. Division one
Aug 12, 2019OUTCOME: Order terminating rights REVERSED.
Misconduct by the Snohomish County Volunteer Guardian Ad Litem program (VGAL) now renamed Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) resulted in a new trial after it was revealed that members of the Supe ... rior Court bench secretly assisted the program in litigation against parents. The due process rights and the appearance of fairness were violated when the VGAL/CASA program engaged in abusive use of litigation, lying to the court, destroying evidence, threatening counsel for the parents, engaging in discovery abuses and having a prosecutor who represented the judges send a threatening letter to parents counsel who had exposed the corruption. This case exposed corruption and criminal activity by a court-run and court-protected program that was allowed to rampant for decades. The Court of Appeals found that the tribunal in Snohomish County was biased and that assisting and advocating in litigation of one party against another warrant a new trial in another county.
